System and method for performing person-to-person funds transfers via wireless communications

ABSTRACT

A funds-transfer system enables a buyer to transfer funds to a seller via a mobile telephone. The system receives a payment request transmitted from a mobile telephone of the buyer. The payment request is for a transfer of funds from a financial account held by the buyer to a financial account held by the seller, and the payment request is transmitted from a payment application stored in the buyer&#39;s mobile telephone. The payment request identifies a purchase amount to be transferred, and information identifying the financial account held by the buyer. The system charges the purchase amount to the financial account held by the buyer and transfers the purchase amount to a financial account held by the seller.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of, claims priority to and the benefit of, U.S. Ser. No. 11/741,170 filed Apr. 27, 2007 and entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PERFORMING PERSON-TO-PERSON FUNDS TRANSFERS VIA WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS.” The following applications, each of which is incorporated herein by reference, were filed concurrently with the '170 application and include subject matter that is related to the subject matter of the present application: U.S. Ser. No. 11/741,288 filed Apr. 27, 2007 entitled “PAYMENT APPLICATION DOWNLOAD TO MOBILE PHONE,” which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,620,260 on Dec. 31, 2013; U.S. Ser. No. 11/741,243 filed Apr. 27, 2007 entitled “MOBILE PAYMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD”; and U.S. Ser. No. 11/741,268 filed Apr. 27, 2007 entitled “USER EXPERIENCE ON MOBILE PHONE,” which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,543,496 on Sep. 24, 2013.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a system and a method for wirelessly transferring funds from one financial transaction account to another financial transaction account. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and a method for enabling an account holder of a financial transaction account to transfer funds to a financial transaction account of another account holder, via wireless communications, during a person-to-person interaction between the account holders.

RELATED ART

Consumers very often use financial transaction instruments as convenient forms of payment for purchases of goods and/or services (“goods/services”) instead of using cash or checks. Traditionally, a “financial transaction instrument” is embodied as a card-shaped device, also referred to herein as a “card,” and may be any of the following: a traditional “plastic” transaction card (e.g., a credit card, a charge card, a debit card, a pre-paid or stored-value card, or the like); a titanium-containing, or other metal-containing, transaction card; a clear or translucent transaction card; a foldable or otherwise unconventionally-sized transaction card; or any other type of card used in connection with a financial transaction.

It is common for financial transaction instruments to be shaped as cards that fit in a wallet, to make them convenient for consumers to carry one or more when traveling or performing day-to-day activities outside their homes. Many consumers regularly carry several such cards at a time, with each card corresponding to a different financial transaction account. This sometimes causes a great deal of inconvenience, especially when each of the several cards must be searched in order to find a particular card to be used for a financial transaction (e.g., when a merchant only accepts an American Express® card for the transaction). Also, when a consumer carries several cards at a time, the consumer may misplace or lose one of the cards and not become aware of the missing card until the next time the card is to be used, which may not be for days or weeks or longer. If it turns out that the missing card was stolen and then used for fraudulent purchases, both the card issuer and the consumer can suffer monetary losses. Therefore, there is a need for a convenient way for consumers to make purchases that does not require the use of a card. More generally, there is a need for a convenient way for a person to transfer funds to another person that does not require the use of cash, a check, or a card.

More recently, new types of financial transaction instruments, configured with electronic functionality, have become popular. Electronic circuitry is printed on or otherwise incorporated within these instruments for implementing financial transactions. One such instrument is a contactless transaction card, sometimes referred to as a “smart card.” Contactless transaction cards may be equipped with electronic circuitry for wirelessly communicating data to and/or reading data from a card reader/writer, which reads data from or transfers data to such transaction cards. The wireless communication of data may occur via an electromagnetic transmission or other type of wireless transmission. Contactless transactions cards, however, present the same inconveniences and drawbacks as other cards, as discussed above. Another such instrument is a fob-type device shaped to dangle from a keychain, in which a wireless transponder and reader are incorporated in the device. Fob-type devices, however, tend to be bulky. Therefore, if a consumer carries several such devices on a keychain, it may be uncomfortable and/or unsightly for the consumer to keep the keychain in a clothing pocket, or it may require the consumer to use a larger handbag than otherwise would be necessary. Of course, if the several fob-devices are carried around loosely (i.e., not on a single keychain), then a similar drawback occurs as with cards. That is, a consumer may not becoming aware of a misplaced or lost device until the next time the device is to be used, which may not be for days or weeks or longer, and which may cause economic losses for the consumer and/or the device issuer if it turns out that the missing device was stolen and then used for fraudulent purchases. Therefore, there is a need for a convenient way for consumers to make purchases that does not require the use of a fob-type device. More generally, there is a need for a convenient way for a person to transfer funds to another person that does not require the use of cash, a check, or a fob-type device.

As used herein, a “financial transaction account,” also referred to herein as a “transaction account,” may be a bank account, a credit account, or the like. For example, a bank account may be a savings account, a checking account, a money-market account, or the like; and a credit account may be a transaction account associated with a pre-approved line of credit.

Also, as used herein, the term “merchant” refers to any person, entity, distributor system, software, and/or hardware that is a provider or broker of goods/services, and includes any other entity in the distribution chain of goods/services. For example, a typical merchant may be a grocery store, a retail store, a travel agency, a service provider, a public-service utility, a school, a library, an on-line merchant, a government agency, or the like. A non-typical merchant may be a host of a garage sale or a host of a fund-raising activity, for example.

Also, as used herein, the terms “consumers,” “customers,” and “users” may be used interchangeably to refer to persons who purchase goods/services from merchants.

In regard to use of a financial transaction account, a consumer may communicate or interact with a traditional merchant in person (e.g., at a store), telephonically, or electronically (e.g., from a computer via the Internet). During the interaction, the merchant may offer good/services to the customer. The merchant also may offer the customer an option to pay for the goods/services using any number of available transaction accounts via their corresponding financial transaction instruments.

Generally, a traditional merchant that wants to provide customers with the option to pay for goods/services with a particular type of financial transaction instrument will enter into an agreement with the issuer of that type of instrument (e.g., American Express®, Visa®, Discover®, MasterCard®, or the like). The issuer typically is a financial organization (e.g., American Express®, JPMorgan Chase, MBNA®, Citibank®, or the like).

Although financial transaction instruments (e.g., cards and fob-type devices) provide consumers with a convenient way to pay for purchases and also provide traditional merchants with a convenient way to obtain payment for purchases, non-traditional merchants generally cannot take advantage of the conveniences without an agreement with the issuers. In other words, a garage-sale host cannot accept payments by credit cards or debit cards without pre-established agreements with the issuer of those cards. Therefore, non-traditional merchants, such as street artists, garage-sale hosts, community fundraisers, and the like, must ask their customers to pay with cash or checks. This may reduce the number of sales and the sales revenue made by non-traditional merchants, because many consumers rely on the use of cards for purchases and do not routinely carry checks or a large amount of cash (i.e., an amount over about $20).

Given the foregoing, a need exists for a system that conveniently enables consumers to make purchases that does not require the use of a card or a fob-type device. More generally, there is a need for a system that enables a person to transfer funds directly to another person that does not require the use of cash, a check, a card, or a fob-type device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention meets the above-identified need by providing a system, a method, and a computer program product that allows a person-to-person transfer of funds through use of wireless communications. The wireless communications take place via one or more mobile communication devices. Neither of the persons involved in the funds transfer is necessarily a traditional merchant, and no issuer-merchant agreement needs to be in place before the funds transfer takes place, as typically would be required before a merchant would be able to accept payment through a card issued by an issuer. Instead, the present invention enables funds to be transferred from a financial transaction account of a payer to a financial transaction account of a payee through wireless communications that occur between one or more mobile devices, such as a mobile telephone or the like.

An advantage of the present invention is that it allows an owner of a first card (sometimes referred to as a cardmember) to transfer funds to an owner of a second card by transferring funds directly from a financial transaction account corresponding to the first card to a financial transaction account corresponding to a second card. The issuer of the first card can be the same as the issuer of the second card, such as in a transfer of funds between two American Express® accounts, or the issuer of the first card can be different from the issuer of the second card. Thus, a cardmember can transfer funds, without the use of cash or checks, to another cardmember who is not a merchant or who is not authorized/equipped to receive funds via a card. More specifically, once an agreement is reached to transfer funds, a mobile device of the payee transmits information (e.g., account identification information, amount to be transferred, caller ID of the payee's mobile-device, etc.) to a mobile device of the payer, which uses the transmitted information in a funds-transfer request. The request is transmitted by the payer's mobile device to a transfer server, which determines whether the transfer is permitted and, if so, arranges for the funds to be transferred. The transfer server then causes a transfer acknowledgment to be sent to the payee's mobile device (or both the payer's and the payee's mobile devices) as a payment confirmation.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a computer system is provided for enabling a buyer to transfer funds to a seller via a mobile telephone. The system includes a processor a memory storing control logic, and the control logic includes:

-   -   first computer-readable program code for causing the processor         to receive a payment request transmitted from a mobile telephone         of the buyer,         -   wherein the payment request is for a transfer of funds from             a financial account held by the buyer to a financial account             held by the seller,         -   wherein the payment request is transmitted from a payment             application stored in the buyer's mobile telephone, and         -   wherein the payment request identifies a purchase amount to             be transferred, and information identifying the financial             account held by the buyer;     -   second computer-readable program code for causing the processor         to charge the purchase amount to the financial account held by         the buyer and to transfer the purchase amount to a financial         account held by the seller; and     -   third computer-readable program code for causing the processor         to provide a payment acknowledgment to the buyer's mobile         telephone and to the seller.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a computer system is provided for enabling a first party to transfer funds to a second party via a mobile telephone. The system includes a processor and a memory storing control logic. The control logic includes:

-   -   first computer-readable program code for causing the processor         to receive a payment request transmitted from a mobile telephone         of the first party,         -   wherein the payment request is for a transfer of funds             between a financial account held by the first party and a             financial account held by the second party,         -   wherein the payment request is transmitted from a payment             application stored in the first party's mobile telephone,             and         -   wherein the payment request identifies a purchase amount to             be transferred, information identifying the financial             account of the first party, and information identifying the             financial account of the second party;     -   second computer-readable program code for causing the processor         to transfer the purchase amount between to the financial account         held by the first party and the financial account held by the         second party; and     -   third computer-readable program code for causing the processor         to provide a payment acknowledgment to the first's mobile         telephone and to a communication device of the second party.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, a computer system is provided for enabling a first party to transfer funds to a second party via a mobile device. The system includes a processor and a memory storing control logic. The control logic includes:

-   -   first computer-readable program code for causing the processor         to receive a payment request transmitted from a mobile device of         the first party,         -   wherein the payment request is for a transfer of funds             between a financial account held by the first party and a             financial account held by the second party,         -   wherein the payment request is transmitted from a payment             application stored in the first party's mobile device, and         -   wherein the payment request identifies a purchase amount to             be transferred, information identifying the financial             account of the first party, and information identifying the             financial account of the second party;     -   second computer-readable program code for causing the processor         to transfer the purchase amount between to the financial account         held by the first party and the financial account held by the         second party; and     -   third computer-readable program code for causing the processor         to provide a payment acknowledgment to the first's mobile device         and to a communication device of the second party.

According to still another embodiment of the present invention, a computer system is provided for enabling a buyer to transfer funds to a seller via a mobile telephone. The system includes a processor and a memory storing control logic. The control logic includes:

-   -   first computer-readable program code for causing the processor         to download a payment application to a mobile telephone of the         buyer upon a download request transmitted from the buyer's         mobile telephone to the computer system,         -   wherein the downloaded payment application is personalized             for the buyer in accordance with identification information             transmitted from the buyer's mobile telephone to the             computer system, and         -   wherein the downloaded payment application is stored in a             memory of the buyer's mobile telephone;     -   second computer-readable program code for causing the processor         to receive a payment request transmitted from the buyer's mobile         telephone,         -   wherein the payment request is for a transfer of funds from             a financial account held by the buyer to a financial account             held by the seller, and         -   wherein the payment request is transmitted in accordance             with the payment application and identifies a purchase             amount to be transferred, a telephone number for a mobile             telephone of the seller, and information identifying the             financial account held by the buyer;     -   third computer-readable program code for causing the processor         to charge the purchase amount to the financial account held by         the buyer and to transfer the purchase amount to a financial         account held by the seller; and     -   fourth computer-readable program code for causing the processor         to provide a payment acknowledgment to each of the buyer's         mobile telephone and the seller's mobile telephone.

Further features and advantages of the present invention as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description set forth below when considered in conjunction with the attached drawings, in which like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements. Additionally, the left-most digit of a reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference number first appears.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a system diagram of an exemplary funds-transfer system used to implement an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a system diagram of an exemplary application-installation system used to implement an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart illustrating an exemplary person-to-person funds transfer process, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of an exemplary computer system useful for implementing an aspect of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION I. Overview

The present invention is directed to a system and a method for enabling a person-to-person transfer of funds through wireless communications involving at least one mobile device. The funds are transferred from a financial transaction account of the payer to a financial transaction account of a payee as payment for a face-to-face financial transaction between the payer and the payee. The transfer occurs in real time and, after completion of the transfer, a confirmation is transmitted to the payee. The present invention eliminates that need for a merchant to have specialized equipment (e.g., card readers for reading information from cards; RF transceivers for communicating with fob-type devices; read/write devices for reading and updating smart cards; and the like) to receive payment for a purchase, without the exchange of cash or checks. Further, because a financial institution is involved, the payee can be assured that the funds transfer took place and is not fraudulent.

II. System

FIG. 1 shows a schematic system diagram of an exemplary funds-transfer system 100, used to implement or practice one or more embodiments of the present invention. Funds-transfer system 100 includes a transfer server 102 that is able to communicate with a plurality of mobile devices 104 via a communication network 106.

Transfer server 102 has access to a plurality of databases in/from which information is stored/retrieved, such as an applications database 108 and an accounts database 110, for example. Applications database 108 stores one or more applications that can be uploaded to (or downloaded by) mobile device 104 via a wireless transmission using communication network 106. Accounts database 110 stores information on transaction accounts. Transfer server 102 includes a Web hosting environment 102A, whose function is described in more detail below.

In an embodiment of the present invention, transfer server 102 is managed by an issuer (e.g., American Express®), and accounts database 110 stores information on transaction accounts of that issuer, such that funds may only be transferred between transaction accounts of that issuer.

In another embodiment of the present invention, transfer server 102 is managed by an issuer and is connected via a communication network (not shown) to another transfer server (not shown) managed by another issuer. This enables funds to be transferred between transaction accounts of different issuers.

Communication network 106 may be a cellular communication network, a satellite communication network, the Internet, or any other means of wireless communication between transfer server 102 and mobile device 104, and between different mobile devices 104. Mobile device 104 may be a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant (e.g., a Blackberry®), a portable computer, or any other digital device able to perform wireless data communication with transfer server 102 or with another mobile device 104.

Mobile device 104 may be equipped with Bluetooth®, NFC (“near-field communication”), and/or infrared (e.g., IrDA) communication modules, which enables it to communicate wirelessly with other devices in its proximity or in its line of sight.

Optionally, to ensure security, communications may occur indirectly with transfer server 102 through a security filter (not shown) such as, for example, a firewall, which may be implemented with hardware, software, or a combination thereof. Other types of security measures may be employed, as will be appreciated by persons of skill in the relevant art(s).

According to an embodiment, applications database 108 includes applications created according to the J2ME platform established by Java®. For mobile devices 104 that are mobile telephones, the J2ME applications can be downloaded by (or uploaded to) the mobile telephones using known “.jad” and “.jar” technology.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic system diagram for an application-installation system 200, which may be used to install a payment application on mobile device 104. The payment application is used to practice one or more embodiments of the present invention.

Application-installation system 200 includes mobile device 104, Web host 203, and a gateway 204. Web host 203 may be Web hosting environment 102A of transfer server 102, shown in FIG. 1, or may be an apparatus separate from transfer server 102. During installation of the payment application, gateway 204 sends a message to mobile device 104. The message may be sent using, for example, known push technology. The message includes a URL for a .jad file and requests a user of mobile device 104 to confirm that download of the payment application is desired. After the message is received by mobile device 104, the user confirms that download is desired by sending a reply to the message. The message and the reply may be, for example, SMS messages. The reply causes Web host 203 to use the URL to retrieve the .jad file, which then is sent to mobile device 104. The .jad file includes a URL for a .jar file.

As will be appreciated by persons skilled in the relevant art(s), a jad file is a descriptor file for a jar file. Because jar files can be large, the purpose of the jad file is to enable mobile device 104 to download a small jad file initially, which contains detailed information on the content of the corresponding jar file. The detailed information may include, for example, the source of the jar file, the size of the jar file, etc.

Mobile device 104 reads and executes the .jad file, which causes Web host 203 to download the .jar file to mobile device 104 based on the URL for the .jar filed included in .jad file. After the .jar file has been downloaded to the mobile device 104, the user is asked to confirm that download of the payment application is desired. When the user responds affirmatively to the request, Web host 203 retrieves the payment application (e.g., from a database of applications) and causes the payment application to download to mobile device 104.

IV. Exemplary Applications of the System

The following are examples of various ways funds-transfer system 100 may be utilized.

In an embodiment of the present invention, funds-transfer system 100 includes a processor and a memory storing control logic for causing the processor to enable a buyer to transfer funds to a seller via a mobile telephone. The control logic includes program code for causing the processor to receive a payment request transmitted from a mobile telephone of the buyer. The payment request is for a transfer of funds from a financial account held by the buyer to a financial account held by the seller, and the payment request is transmitted from a payment application stored in the buyer's mobile telephone. The payment request identifies a purchase amount to be transferred, and information identifying the financial account held by the buyer. The control logic also includes program code for causing the processor to charge the purchase amount to the financial account held by the buyer and to transfer the purchase amount to a financial account held by the seller. Additionally, the control logic includes program code for causing the processor to provide a payment acknowledgment to the buyer's mobile telephone and to the seller.

According to an aspect of the embodiment, the information identifying the financial account held by the seller is transmitted from a device controlled by the seller to the buyer's mobile telephone.

According to another aspect of the embodiment, the payment acknowledgment is provided to the device controlled by the seller, such as the seller's mobile telephone, for example.

According to another aspect of the embodiment, the payment application is uploaded to the buyer's mobile telephone when the computer system receives a request from the buyer's mobile telephone.

According to a further aspect of the embodiment, the payment request includes authentication information, which is used to authenticate the buyer. For example, the authentication information may be biometric information, a digital signature, a password, or any other information that can be used to authenticate the buyer.

In another embodiment of the present invention, funds-transfer system 100 includes a processor and a memory storing control logic for causing the processor to enable a first party to transfer funds to a second party via a mobile telephone. The control logic includes program code for causing the processor to receive a payment request transmitted from a mobile telephone of the first party. The payment request is for a transfer of funds between a financial account held by the first party and a financial account held by the second party, the payment request is transmitted from a payment application stored in the first party's mobile telephone, and the payment request identifies a purchase amount to be transferred, information identifying the financial account of the first party, and information identifying the financial account of the second party. The control logic also includes program code for causing the processor to transfer the purchase amount between to the financial account held by the first party and the financial account held by the second party. Additionally, the control logic includes program code for causing the processor to provide a payment acknowledgment to the first party's mobile telephone and to a communication device of the second party.

According to an aspect of the embodiment, the communication device of the second party is a mobile telephone, and the information identifying the financial account of the second party is transmitted from the second party's mobile telephone to the first party's mobile telephone. For example, the information may be transmitted according to any of the following protocols: Bluetooth®, NFC, and IrDA,

According to another aspect of the embodiment, the first party is a payer and the second party is a payee.

According to another aspect of the embodiment, the first party is a payee and the second party is a payer.

According to a further aspect of the embodiment, the payment application is uploaded to the first party's mobile telephone when the computer system receives a request from the first party's mobile telephone.

In still another embodiment of the present invention, funds-transfer system 100 includes a processor and a memory storing control logic for causing the processor to enable a first party to transfer funds to a second party via a mobile device. The control logic includes program code for causing the processor to receive a payment request transmitted from a mobile device of the first party. The payment request is for a transfer of funds between a financial account held by the first party and a financial account held by the second party, the payment request is transmitted from a payment application stored in the first party's mobile device, and payment request identifies a purchase amount to be transferred, information identifying the financial account of the first party, and information identifying the financial account of the second party. The control logic also includes program code for causing the processor to transfer the purchase amount between to the financial account held by the first party and the financial account held by the second party. Additionally, the control logic includes program code for causing the processor to provide a payment acknowledgment to the first's mobile device and to a communication device of the second party.

According to an aspect of the embodiment, the buyer's mobile device is a mobile telephone or a wireless email device.

According to another aspect of the embodiment, the communication device of the second party is a mobile telephone or a wireless email device, and the information identifying the financial account of the second party is transmitted from the second party's communication device to the first party's mobile device.

According to yet another aspect of the embodiment, the first party is a payer and the second party is a payee.

According to a further aspect of the embodiment, the first party is a payee and the second party is a payer.

According to still another aspect of the embodiment, the payment application is uploaded to the first party's mobile device when the computer receives a request from the first party's mobile device.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, funds-transfer system 100 includes a processor and a memory storing control logic stored therein for causing the processor to enable a buyer to transfer funds to a seller via a mobile telephone. The control logic includes program code for causing the processor to download a payment application to a mobile telephone of the buyer upon a download request transmitted from the buyer's mobile telephone to the computer system. The downloaded payment application is personalized for the buyer in accordance with identification information transmitted from the buyer's mobile telephone to the computer system, and the downloaded payment application is stored in a memory of the buyer's mobile telephone. The control logic also includes program code for causing the processor to receive a payment request transmitted from the buyer's mobile telephone. The payment request is for a transfer of funds from a financial account held by the buyer to a financial account held by the seller, and the payment request is transmitted in accordance with the payment application and identifies a purchase amount to be transferred, a telephone number for a mobile telephone of the seller, and information identifying the financial account held by the buyer. The control logic further includes program code for causing the processor to charge the purchase amount to the financial account held by the buyer and to transfer the purchase amount to a financial account held by the seller. Additionally, the control logic includes program code for causing the processor to provide a payment acknowledgment to each of the buyer's mobile telephone and the seller's mobile telephone.

According to an aspect of the embodiment, the telephone number of the seller's mobile telephone identifies the financial account held by the seller.

According to another aspect of the embodiment, the payment request identifies the financial account held by the seller.

According to a further aspect of the embodiment, the telephone number of the seller's mobile telephone is inputted to the payment program via a wireless transmission.

According to still another aspect of the embodiment, the telephone number of the seller's mobile telephone is manually inputted to the payment program using a keypad of the buyer's mobile telephone.

According to a further aspect of the embodiment, a security feature available to the user is the ability to set one or more transaction limits to the payment application and to store these limits in the memory of the phone. For example, the user can set a transaction limit of 5, whereby after every fifth transaction made using the payment application from the mobile phone, the next transaction requires affirmative reauthorization from the user, such as entry of the user's PIN. As another example, the user can set a transaction limit of 7 (or another selected number), and then set the phone to prompt the user after the fifth (or other ordinal) transaction that the transaction limit is being approached. The user can respond to the prompt with reauthorization after the fifth or sixth transaction, whereby after the seventh transaction, the user can make additional transactions without needing to provide further reauthorization. However, if the user ignores the prompt, then after the seventh transaction, further reauthorization is definitely required. Thus, the user can have security without the possible inconvenience of entering a PIN for every transaction. Also, through prompting the user for the PIN before authorization expires, there is a buffer period for reentry of the PIN (i.e., reauthorization). Therefore, if the user is in a hurry when the request for reauthorization is made, the buffer period allows the user to wait until a more convenient time to reenter the PIN.

III. Process

Referring to FIG. 3, a flowchart illustrating a person-to-person funds transfer process 300, according to an embodiment of the present invention, is shown. Preferably, process 300 utilizes funds-transfer system 100. As discussed above, optional security measures (e.g., firewall, etc.) may be implemented prior to and/or concurrently with communication with server transfer server 102.

Process 300 begins after Person A and Person B agree to a transfer of funds. As discussed above, neither Person A nor Person B necessarily is a professional vendor. For example, Person B may agree to make a purchase from Person A at a garage sale or at a community fundraising event, or Person A may agree to repay a personal loan from Person B. There are, of course, many other situations in which process 300 would provide a convenient way to transfer funds from person to person.

At step S3010, Mobile Device B belonging to Person B receives transaction information transmitted from Mobile Device A belonging to Person A. The transaction information may include any combination of the following: an amount to be transferred; a payee or recipient name (e.g., Person A's name); information identifying a financial transaction account into which the amount is to be transferred (e.g., an account number); an access code for accessing the financial transaction account; an account-holder name of the financial transaction account; and contact information for providing a transfer confirmation (e.g., a call number for Mobile Device A, an email address, and the like). Preferably, the transaction information includes at least the amount to be transferred and the information for identifying the financial transaction account that is to receive the transferred amount. The transaction information may be transmitted according to known transmission techniques, such as by a “line-of-sight” infrared beam from Mobile Device A to Mobile Device B, by a standard text message, by a Bluetooth® transmission, or the like.

At step S3012, a funds-transfer application stored in Mobile Device B incorporates the received transaction information in a funds-transfer request, which is an electronic request generated by the funds-transfer application. Optionally, for security purposes, the received information may be incorporated into the funds-transfer request in such a manner that sensitive information is not visible. For example, the amount to be transferred and the payee or recipient name may be visible, but the account number and the access code may not be visible. Also optionally, for security purposes, the received transaction information is usable only for a current funds-transfer transaction and may not be stored in Mobile Device B for future use.

The fund-transfer application prompts Person B to review the funds-transfer request. At step S3014, if Person B disagrees with information in the fund-transfer request (e.g., if there is a disagreement with the amount to be transferred), process 300 proceeds to step S3016 at which Person B either ends the funds-transfer transaction at step S3018 or re-starts the funds-transfer transaction by asking Person A to re-transmit the transaction information with the desired correction (e.g., with a corrected amount to be transferred) and returning to step S3010.

At step S3020, Person B inputs information identifying a financial transaction account from which the amount to be transferred is obtained. For example, Person B may opt to use a default financial transaction account for which the funds-transfer application utilizes pre-stored information. If Person B opts to use a different financial transaction account, the funds-transfer application prompts Person B to input information necessary to identify and access that financial transaction account. Optionally, the funds-transfer request may include authentication information, which is used to authenticate Person B. For example, the authentication information may be biometric information, a digital signature, a password, or any other information that can be used to authenticate the buyer.

At step S3022, Person B submits the funds-transfer request to a transfer server (e.g., transfer server 102). At step S3024, the transfer server accesses the financial transaction account identified by Person B and determines whether sufficient funds are present to cover the amount to be transferred. If so, process 300 proceeds to step S3026, at which the transfer server determines whether the financial transaction account identified by Person A (i.e., the receiving account) is a valid account. If so, the amount is debited from the financial transaction account identified by Person B and credited to the financial transaction account identified by Person A, at step S3028. If not, a notice is transmitted, stating that the financial transaction account identified by Person A is invalid as the receiving account, at step S3034. The notice may be sent to one or both of Mobile Device A and Mobile Device B. Subsequently, process 300 may end or may return to step S3014, at which a corrected receiving account may be identified.

If, at step S3024, it is determined that there are insufficient funds in the financial transaction account identified by Person B, then a notification regarding the insufficient funds is transmitted to Mobile Device B, at step S3030. Optionally, at step S3032, the notification may include an option for Person B to modify the funds-transfer request to identify a different financial transaction account from which to obtain the amount to be transferred. If Person B selects this option, process 300 returns to step S3020. If Person B declines this option, process 300 ends at step S3036.

At step S3038, once the financial transaction account identified by Person A has been credited, a transfer confirmation is transmitted to Person A. For example, the transfer confirmation may be a text message to Mobile Device A and/or an email message transmitted according to contact information provided by Person A in the transaction information.

Optionally, at step S3038, a transfer confirmation also is transmitted to Person B. For example, the transfer confirmation may be a text message to Mobile Device B and/or an email message transmitted to a pre-set email address, which is automatically included in the funds-transfer request by the funds-transfer application stored in Mobile Device B.

Although process 300 shown in FIG. 3 describes an embodiment in which Person A (i.e., the payer) submits the funds-transfer request, persons skilled in the art of financial transactions will readily appreciate that the scope of the present invention also includes an embodiment in which Person B (i.e., the payee) submits the funds-transfer request and Person A transmits the transaction information to Mobile Device B.

The financial transaction accounts may be savings accounts, checking accounts, credit-card accounts, and the like. For example, a payer may choose to use a financial transaction account that is a credit-card account, whereas a payee may choose to use a financial transaction account that is a savings account.

If the two financial transaction accounts involved in the funds-transfer transaction are with the same financial institution (e.g., both financial transaction accounts are with Bank X), then the transfer may occur immediately. That is, the payee may be able to use the transferred funds immediately. If, however, the two financial transaction accounts involved in the funds-transfer transaction are with different financial institutions (e.g., one account is with Bank X and another account is with Bank Y), then the transferred funds may not be available for immediate use by the payee, but may be subject to a settlement process between the different financial institutions.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, at step S3038, if the funds-transfer transaction involve the same financial institution, then the transfer confirmation may include an optional message that the transferred funds are available for immediate use; if the funds-transfer transaction involve different financial institutions, then the transfer confirmation may include an optional message that the transferred funds are subject to a settlement procedure before being available for use.

As will be appreciated by those of skill in the relevant art(s), the order of steps in process 300 need not be as shown in FIG. 3, and some steps may occur in parallel or in another order.

IV. Exemplary Implementation(s)

The present invention (i.e., funds-transfer systems 100, application installation system 200, or any part(s) or function(s) thereof) may be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination thereof, and may be implemented in one or more computer systems or other processing systems. Useful machines for performing some or all of the operations of the present invention include general-purpose digital computers or similar devices.

In an embodiment of the present invention, one or more computer systems are equipped to carry out the functions described herein. An example of such a computer system 400 is shown in FIG. 4.

Computer system 400 includes at least one processor 404. Processor 404 is connected to a communication infrastructure 406 (e.g., a communications bus, a cross-over bar device, or a network). Although various software embodiments are described herein in terms of this exemplary computer system 400, after reading this description, it will become apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art(s) how to implement the invention using other computer systems and/or architectures.

Computer system 400 includes a display interface 402 that forwards graphics, text, and other data from communication infrastructure 406 (or from a frame buffer (not shown)) for display on a display unit 430.

Computer system 400 also includes a main memory 408, which preferably is a random access memory (RAM), and may also include a secondary memory 410. Secondary memory 410 may include, for example, a hard disk drive 412 and/or a removable-storage drive 414 (e.g., a floppy disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, an optical disk drive, and the like). Removable-storage drive 414 reads from and/or writes to a removable storage unit 418 in a well-known manner. Removable storage unit 418 may be, for example, a floppy disk, a magnetic tape, an optical disk, and the like, which is written to and read by removable-storage drive 414. As will be appreciated, removable storage unit 418 includes a computer-usable storage medium having stored therein computer software and/or data.

In alternative embodiments, secondary memory 410 may include other similar devices for allowing computer programs or other instructions to be loaded into computer system 400. Such devices may include a removable storage unit 422 and an interface 420 (e.g., a program cartridge and a cartridge interface similar to those used with video game systems), a removable memory chip (e.g., an erasable programmable read-only memory (“EPROM”), or a programmable read-only memory (“PROM”)) and an associated memory socket, and other removable storage units 422 and interfaces 420 that allow software and data to be transferred from removable storage unit 422 to computer system 400.

Computer system 400 may also include a communications interface 424, which allows software and data to be transferred between computer system 400 and external devices (not shown). Examples of communications interface 424 may include a modem, a network interface (e.g., an Ethernet card), a communications port, a Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (“PCMCIA”) interface, and the like. Software and data transferred via communications interface 424 are in the form of signals 428, which may be electronic, electromagnetic, optical or another type of signal that is capable of being received by communications interface 424. Signals 428 are provided to communications interface 424 via a communications path 426 (e.g., a channel). Communications path 426 carries signals 428 and may be implemented using wire or cable, fiber optics, a telephone line, a cellular link, a radio-frequency (“RF”) link, or the like.

As used herein, the phrases “computer program medium” and “computer usable medium” may be used to generally refer to removable storage unit 418 used with removable-storage drive 414, a hard disk installed in hard disk drive 412, and signals 428, for example. These computer program products provide software to computer system 400. The present invention may be implemented or embodied as one or more of such computer program products.

Computer programs (also referred to as computer control logic) are stored in main memory 408 and/or secondary memory 410. The computer programs may also be received via communications interface 424. Such computer programs, when executed, enable computer system 400 to perform the features of the present invention, as discussed herein. In particular, the computer programs, when executed, enable the processor 404 to perform the features of the present invention. Accordingly, such computer programs represent controllers of computer system 400.

In an embodiment where the present invention is implemented using software, the software may be stored in a computer program product and loaded into computer system 400 using removable-storage drive 414, hard drive 412, or communications interface 424. The control logic (software), when executed by processor 404, causes processor 404 to perform the functions of the present invention as described herein.

In another embodiment, the present invention is implemented primarily in hardware using, for example, hardware components such as application-specific integrated circuits (“ASICs”). Implementation of such a hardware arrangement so as to perforin the functions described herein will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s).

In yet another embodiment, the present invention is implemented using a combination of both hardware and software.

As will be appreciated by those of skill in the relevant art(s), the present invention may be implemented using a single computer or using a computer system that includes multiple computers each programmed with control logic to perform various of the above-described functions of the present invention.

V. Conclusion

The various embodiments of the present invention described above have been presented by way of example and not limitation. It will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents. It is also to be understood that the steps and processes recited in the claims need not be performed in the order presented.

In addition, it should be understood that the attached drawings, which highlight the functionality and advantages of the present invention, are presented as illustrative examples. The architecture of the present invention is sufficiently flexible and configurable, such that it may be utilized (and navigated) in ways other than that shown in the drawings.

Further, the purpose of the appended Abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially scientists, engineers, and practitioners in the relevant art(s), who are not familiar with patent or legal terms and/or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical subject matter disclosed herein. The Abstract is not intended to be limiting as to the scope of the present invention in any way. 

1. A method comprising: providing, by a funds transfer computer-based system, an insufficient funds notification to a buyer mobile telephone, in response to a first financial account having insufficient funds to complete a funds-transfer request; requesting, by the computer-based system, that the buyer modify the funds-transfer request via the buyer mobile telephone to identify a second financial account in response to the first financial account having insufficient funds to complete the funds-transfer request; providing, by the computer-based system, an invalid account notification to the buyer mobile telephone, in response to third financial account information corresponding to an invalid financial account; and requesting, by the computer-based system, that the buyer modify the funds-transfer request via the buyer mobile telephone, to identify a fourth financial account that is valid, in response to the third financial account information corresponding to an invalid financial account.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing at least one of the insufficient funds notification and the invalid account notification is also provided to the seller mobile telephone.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising charging, by the computer-based system, the purchase amount to at least one of the first financial account and the fourth financial account.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transferring, by the computer-based system, the purchase amount to a financial account held by the seller.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, by the computer-based system, a payment acknowledgment to the buyer mobile telephone and to the seller mobile telephone.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the computer-based system, the funds-transfer request transmitted from the seller mobile telephone.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the funds-transfer request is for a transfer of funds from a buyer financial account to a seller financial account.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the funds-transfer request is transmitted from a payment application stored in the seller mobile telephone.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein a payment application is uploaded to the seller mobile telephone in response to receiving a payment application request from the seller mobile telephone.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the funds-transfer request identifies a purchase amount to be transferred, and information identifying the financial account held by the seller.
 11. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing, by the computer-based system, the funds-transfer request according to a purchase amount and the third financial account information.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the information identifying the financial account held by the seller is transmitted from the seller's mobile telephone to the buyer's mobile telephone.
 13. The method of claim 1, further comprising wherein the payment acknowledgment is a text message sent to the seller mobile telephone.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the funds-transfer request includes authentication information used to authenticate the seller.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the information identifying the financial account held by the seller includes a telephone number of the seller mobile telephone.
 16. A system comprising: a funds transfer processor, a tangible, non-transitory memory configured to communicate with the processor, the tangible, non-transitory memory having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising: providing, by the processor, an insufficient funds notification to a buyer mobile telephone, in response to a first financial account having insufficient funds to complete a funds-transfer request; requesting, by the processor, that the buyer modify the funds-transfer request via the buyer mobile telephone to identify a second financial account in response to the first financial account having insufficient funds to complete the funds-transfer request; providing, by the processor, an invalid account notification to the buyer mobile telephone, in response to third financial account information corresponding to an invalid financial account; and requesting, by the processor, that the buyer modify the funds-transfer request via the buyer mobile telephone, to identify a fourth financial account that is valid, in response to the third financial account information corresponding to an invalid financial account.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the providing at least one of the insufficient funds notification and the invalid account notification is also provided to the seller mobile telephone.
 18. The system of claim 16, further comprising charging, by the computer-based system, the purchase amount to at least one of the first financial account and the fourth financial account.
 19. The system of claim 16, further comprising transferring, by the computer-based system, the purchase amount to a financial account held by the seller.
 20. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a funds transfer computer-based system, cause the computer-based system to perform operations comprising: providing, by the computer-based system, an insufficient funds notification to a buyer mobile telephone, in response to a first financial account having insufficient funds to complete a funds-transfer request; requesting, by the computer-based system, that the buyer modify the funds-transfer request via the buyer mobile telephone to identify a second financial account in response to the first financial account having insufficient funds to complete the funds-transfer request; providing, by the computer-based system, an invalid account notification to the buyer mobile telephone, in response to third financial account information corresponding to an invalid financial account; and requesting, by the computer-based system, that the buyer modify the funds-transfer request via the buyer mobile telephone, to identify a fourth financial account that is valid, in response to the third financial account information corresponding to an invalid financial account. 